Enclosure for an electric switch



Aug. 14, 1956 GOUDY ET AL 2,759,054

ENCLOSURE FOR AN ELECTRIC SWITCH Filed July 15, 1953 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 United States Patent ENCLOSURE FOR AN ELECTRIC SWITCH Paul R. Goody, Milwaukee, and Joseph J. Gribble, Shorewood, Wis, assignors to Square D Company, Detroit, Mich, a corporation of Michigan Application July 15, 1953, Serial No. 368,062

'7 Claims. (Cl. 200-50) This invention relates to an enclosure for an electric circuit controller and more particularly to an enclosure employing a front operating handle rotating in a plane parallel to the front of the enclosure and disassembled from the mechanism of the enclosure when the cover is removed.

An object of the invention is to provide an enclosure for an electric circuit controller as described above in which there is provided a simple interlock means preventing opening of the cover while the operating handle is in the on position and providing for throwing of the handle and switching mechanism into the off position if the cover is opened when the circuit controller is closed.

Another object of the invention is to provide in an enclosed electric switch a simple and easily operated engaging arrangement between a front operating handle and electric controller operating mechanism providing for ready disassembly thereof and for ease of operation.

Another object of the invention is to provide an improved enclosure for an electric circuit controller, particularly of a construction in which a gasket is provided between the cover and the enclosing box, in which interengaging means between the cover and enclosing box are provided at one point and a camming locking means provided at another point whereby the cover and box are easily engaged and readily cammed into position with considerable force exerted at the gasket for relatively minor force exerted upon the latching means.

Other objects and features of the invention willbe readily apparent to those skilled in the art from the specification and appended drawings illustrating certain preferred embodiments in which:

Figure 1 is a front elevational view of an enclosure according to the present invention.

Figure 2 is an enlarged sectional view on the lines IIII of Figure 1 with the parts shown in the off position.

Figure 3 is a sectional view on the lines Ill-J11 of Figure 1.

Figure 4 is a detail view on the line IV1V of Figure 3.

Figure 5 is a view similar to Figure 2 with the parts shown in the on position.

Figure 6 is a view on the line VIVI of Figure 1.

The enclosure according to the present invention is illustrated in the specific embodiment of the drawings as comprising an enclosing box 1 having a front cover 2 interengaged at the top by a tongue and slot connection 3 and 4, a gasket 5 of felt or other material being mounted in the cover and adapted to engage with the front edge of the box to inhibit passage of dust into the enclosure. The bottom of the cover is clamped to the box through a cam latch 6 pivoted at 7 on the bottom cover flange and carrying an integral earn 8 having a surface engaging a pin 9 mounted in the opposed legs of a member 11 supported on the bottom wall of the box. The cam portion 8 has a decreasing radius relative ice to the pivot 7, from its free end toward the fully engaged position of Figure 6, and is easily engaged at the end so that with rotation of the cam latch 6 the cover and gasket 5 will be securely pressed against the front edge of the box.

A forwardly directed leg 12 on the member 11 is provided with an opening 13 receiving the hasp of a lock to lock the cam latch 6, and hence the cover 2, in closed position. This opening 13 may also receive a seal or this may be passed through a pair of openings 14 and 15 in'the cam latch 6 and the member 11, the opening 15 being threaded for the reception of the stud which may be used to hold the cam latch 6 in locked position against accidental displacement. The bottom flange of the cover is provided with a slot 16 into which the pin 9 is received to index the cover into proper position.

Piv'otally mounted on the front surface of the cover by means of an integral hub 17 extending through the cover is an operating handle 18. At the back of the cover, an operating arm 19 is rigidly secured to the back of the hub 17 by means of a stud 21 and a light torsion spring 22 is provided which biases the handle in a counterclockwise direction into its off position. The free end of the arm 19 is provided with a bifurcated operator 23 having a pair of oppositely directed curved engaging surfaces 24 and 25. When the cover'is engaged with the box, the operator 23 is disposed between a pair of curved abutments 26 and 27 which are spaced apart at the outer end of a pivoted operating lever 28 for the electric circuit controller.

The operating mechanism for the controller may be similar to that shown in the patent to Van Valkenburg et a1. 2,425,129 for an Electric Switch, this patent showing a manually and automatically operating electric switch and the operating linkage herein corresponding to the operating linkage of the patent, a pivot pin 29 on the operating lever 28 corresponding to the pivot pin 60 of the patent disclosure. A Z-shaped bracket 31 has one extreme leg welded to the back side of the front cover and the free leg 32 thereof engageable with a fiat back surface on the curved abutment 27 in the on position of the switch. On the front face of the cover about the handle hub 17 is mounted a plate 20 having an opening therethrough as shown in Figure l for the reception of a lock hasp or other means for locking the operating handle in the off position.

In the construction illustrated, oscillation of the handle 17 in a plane parallel to the front cover effects oscillation of the lever 28 in a perpendicular plane, this motion being transmitted without substantial friction through the curved engaging surfaces 24 and 25 and the curved abutments 26 and 27 as the handle is rotated in opposite directions.

In the position of Figure 2, the off position of the controller, when the cam latch 6 is rotated in a counterclockwise direction to cam 8 will disengage pin 9 and the front cover 2 may be removed by swinging about the tongue and slot connection 3, 4. in this removal, the bifurcated operator 23 readily moves out from between the abutments 26, 27. The disengaged handle is biased into this off position by the spring 22 and when the cover is reassembled the tongue 3 is engaged in the slot 4 and the cover is swung downwardly about their engagement as a pivot until the slot 16 receives the pin 9. In this operation, the cam latch 6 is held upward and cam 8 is therefore in position to engage the under surface of the pin 9 as the cam latch 6 is rotated in a clockwise direction to cam the bottom of the cover toward the enclosing box and effect firm pressure engagement of the gasket 5 with the front edge of the box.

With the handle moved clockwise to the on position of Figure 5, the handle will be maintained in this position by the resistance of the interrupter to movement to the off position. In other words, the mechanism of the interrupter offers greater resistance to movement than the force exerted by the light torsion spring 22. In this position, it is seen that the leg 32 of the member 31 engages the flat surface of the abutment 27 and if the handle is held in the on position, the front cover cannot now be opened, it being assumed that the cam latch 6 has been moved to the open position. However, if the handle 17 is not held on and an opening force is applied to the cover, the leg 32 will move the abutment 27 to move the pivoted lever 28 and the controller mechanism into the off position where the cover may be readily disengaged as previously described.

It is thus seen that the cover is positively interlocked with the box while the operating handle is held in the on position, and when the handle is released and the opening force applied, the cover will force the controller mechanism to the off position as the cover opens; hence, the cover is prevented from opening While the controller is on, since as the cover is opened, the controller is automatically thrown off.

While certain preferred embodiments of the invention have been specifically disclosed, it is understood that the invention is not limited thereto, as many variations will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art and the invention is to be given its broadest possible interpretation within the terms of the following claims.

We claim:

1. In an enclosure for an electric circuit controller, an enclosing box for said controller, a front cover for said box, a handle mounted at the front of said cover for rotation in a plane substantially parallel to said cover, an arm at the back of the cover connected to said handle to rotate therewith, engaging means on said arm, an operating lever for said controller, a readily releasable connection between said engaging means and operating lever, an interlocking arm mounted on the back Wall of said cover and engageable with the operating lever of the controller to prevent opening of the cover while said operating lever is in on position, opening movement of said cover when the operating mechanism of the controller is in on position automatically moving the operating lever and the controller mechanism into off position.

2. In an enclosure for an electric circuit controller, an enclosing box for said controller, a front cover for said box, a handle mounted at the front of said cover for rotation in a plane substantially parallel to said cover, an arm at the back of the co er connected to said handle to rotate therewith, engaging means on said arm, an operating lever for said controller, a readily releasable connection between said engaging means and operating lever, an interlocking arm mounted on the back wall of said cover and engageable with the operating lever of the controller to prevent opening of the cover while said operating lever is in on position, opening movement of said cover when the operating mechanism of the controller is in on position automatically moving the operating lever and the controller mechanism into Off position, said operating handle positively preventing movement of the controller operating lever when the handle is held in on position and thereby positively preventing opening of the cover.

3. In an enclosure for an electric circuit controller, an enclosing box for said controller, a front cover for said box, a handle mounted at the front of said cover for rotation in a plane substantially parallel to said cover, an arm at the back of the cover connected to said handle to rotate therewith, engaging means on said arm, an operating lever for said controller, a readily releasable connection between said engag means and operatlllg lever including a pair of abutments on said lever between which said engaging surfaces are disposed when the cover is mounted on the enclosing box, an interlocking arm mounted on the back wall of said cover and engageable with the operating lever of the controller to prevent opening of the cover while said operating lever is in on position, opening movement of said cover when the operating mechanism of the controller is in on position automatically moving the operating lever and the controller mechanism into off position.

4. In an enclosure for an electric circuit controller, an enclosing box for said controller, a front cover for said box, a handle mounted at the front of said cover for rotation in a plane substantially parallel to said cover, an arm at the back of the cover connected to said handle to rotate therewith, engaging means on said arm, an operating lever for said controller, a readily releasable connection between said engaging means and operating lever, including a pair of spaced abutment surfaces on said operating lever, said abutment surfaces being curved about horizontal axes and said engaging means being curved about horizontal axes at right angles thereto whereby to provide substantially frictionless engagement, an interlocking arm mounted on the back wall of said cover and engageable with the operating lever of the controller to prevent opening of the cover while said operating lever is in on position, opening movement of said cover when the operating mechanism of the controller is in on position automatically moving the operating lever and the controller mechanism into off position.

5. In an enclosure for an electric circuit controller, an enclosing box for said controller, a front cover for said box, a handle mounted at the front of said cover for rotation in a plane substantially parallel to said cover, an arm at the back of the cover connected to said handle to rotate therewith, engaging means on said arm, an operating lever for said controller, a readily releasable connection between said engaging means and operating lever, an interlocking arm mounted on the back wall of said cover and engageable with the operating lever of the controller to prevent opening of the cover while said operating lever is in on position, opening movement of said cover when the operating mechanism of the controller is in on position automatically moving the operating lever and the controller mechanism into off position, and means biasing said handle into off position to automatically index the arm for reengagement in its olf" position when the cover is assembled on the box.

6. In an enclosure for an electric circuit controller, an enclosing box for said controller, a front cover for said box, a handle mounted at the front of said cover for rotation in a plane substantially parallel to said cover, an arm at the back of the cover connected to said handle to rotate therewith, engaging means on said arm, an operating lever for said controller, a readily releasable connection between said engaging means and operating lever, an interlocking arm mounted on the back wall of said cover and engageable with the operating lever of the controller to prevent opening of the cover while said operating lever is in on position, opening movement of said cover when the operating mechanism of the controller is in on position automatically moving the operating lever and the controller mechanism into otf position, means providing an at least partial pivotal mounting of said cover on said box at one point, and a cam latch and abutment cooperating on said cover and box at another point for camming said cover toward the box.

7. In an enclosure for an electric circuit controller, an enclosing box for said controller, a front cover for said box, a handle mounted at the front of said cover for rotation in a plane substantially parallel to said cover, an arm at the back of the cover connected to said handle to rotate therewith, engaging means on said arm, an operating lever for said controller, a readily releasable connection between said engaging means and operating lever, aninterlocking arm mounted on the back wall of said cover and engageable with the operating lever of the controller to prevent opening of the cover while said operating lever is in ?on position, opening movement of said cover when the operating mechanism of the controller is in on position automatically moving the operating lever and the controller mechanism into off position, means providing an at least partial pivotal mounting of said cover on said box at one point, a cam latch and abutment cooperating on said cover and box at another point for camming said cover toward the box, and a gasket between said cover and the front edge of said box and compressed therebetween by the action of said cam latch in drawing said cover toward said box.

References Cited in the fil: of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

